James Darren, or "Vic Fontaine" to some of you, is not only one of the finest singers alive, he's also a multi-talented actor and director. He's a true Hollywood original and remains one of nicest people in the entertainment industry. For a special Q & A session, the singer, actor, director took time out of his schedule to answer your questions. Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome to the STARTREK.COM stage, Mr. James Darren...

Question: Were you a Star Trek fan before working on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?
Katie A.

James Darren: I'm more of a Star Trek fan now, but I was before as well. I especially liked the old, original Star Trek series with Shatner and Nimoy. Now, I'm especially close to Deep Space Nine, even though it's in reruns.

Q: You played on The Time Tunnel and now on Star Trek. Do you like doing sci-fi roles?
Tommy

JD: I guess it would depend on the legitimacy of the character. If it's corny or a bad monster movie, then no.

Q: What are you doing to enjoy life these days?
Martytrek

JD: Working! Singing and enjoying the revival of my singing career that was brought on by [Star Trek: Deep Space Nine executive producer] Ira [Steven] Behr after playing "Vic Fontaine."

Q: I just wanted to tell you that I LOVED your album, as I'm sure everybody else did. Any plans to do another album? Touring plans?
Timothy

JD: Touring for sure. There are dates on the jamesdarren.com Web site. They're all on there.

I plan on going in at the end of February to record a new CD. The songs will be standards for the most part.

Q: I would just like to say that you were great on Deep Space Nine. How did they find you?
W.S.

JD: Ira Behr saw me at a social function and then contacted my agent.

Q: Mr. Darren, I would like to know how long have you been a singer and who or what inspired you to sing?
Lloyd T.

JD: I had a lot of people inspire me. I've been singing ever since I could remember. My first inspiration was the encouragement from my maternal grandmother. I would sing for her as a little boy, when I was seven or eight years old. She'd like a particular song and I would always sing it to her. One of her favorite tunes was "Besame Mucho."

I was influenced, as a singer, by lots of people: Sinatra, Tony Bennett, Nat "King" Cole, Perry Como, and Frankie Lane.

Q: Hi. I've always wondered what great stuff-ups [bloopers] happen on the set. Would you care to tell us of any classic ones?
Krysta

JD: Usually, you try to forget those bloopers! I can't remember any offhand, but the interesting part is I would love to have a reel of them. I'm sure they had tons of them. Walking into walls is pretty common, or calling another character by the wrong name, or by their real name. Also the technobabble can be difficult.

Q: Love your work on Star Trek: Deep Space Nine. When will you come out to Australia to meet your fans?
Robert, Australia

JD: I've been invited to Australia many times and I'm really interested in going. I hope it happens really soon. They have a Harrah's casino in Australia and there is a possibility of my working there. That would be one of the big thrills of my life because I'm dying to go to Australia.

Q: You've directed episodes of Melrose Place and [Beverly Hills] 90210. Did you ever get the urge to get behind the cameras for a DS9 episode?
Ian, Dublin

JD: I did, but unfortunately I was there as the show was winding down. When you direct shows, you usually need to develop relationships at the beginning of the life of the show. If you get in during the first couple of years, as a show is getting established, then usually you will direct. I would love to have directed DS9.

Q: I bought your album and I think it is fantastic. I was wondering, of all the songs you sang on the show, which one has special meaning to you?
Neil. S.

JD: "The Way You Look Tonight" has the most significance because it's the last song I sing in the last episode of DS9 ["What You Leave Behind"]. And it's a wonderful song. Every time I hear it, or even think of the tune, I think about that last day on the set wich was really tough. Nana Visitor ["Kira Nerys"] broke down crying, and so did I because I was singing the song to her.

Q: In five words or less, how would you describe the general mood of the cast and crew on the incredible set of DS9?
Mark M.

JD: Superb. Absolutely superb.

Q: Do you have a favorite song, one that you do at every performance?
Caroline V.

JD: Oh sure, "The Best is Yet to Come."

Q: Who is your favorite Star Trek character?
Andy M.

JD: I answer this emotionally more than anything, but probably Odo. I have many, but it's like asking Who's your favorite singer? But, because of my relationship as Vic Fontaine with Odo, he had special meaning.

Q: First off, I want to tell you how much I enjoyed you on DS9. You were a wonderful addition to the cast! My question for you is: Who picked the songs that Vic sang on the show? I loved them all and you sang them beautifully!
Jamie W., NY

JD: They were chosen by Ira Behr and myself. Ira would choose a few songs and give me the option. If I didn't like the tune or didn't like singing it I could turn it down.

Question: The Time Tunnel was my favorite show as a kid. Did you enjoy being "Tony Newman"? What did you think of that show?
Jon S.

James Darren: I loved being Tony Newman and I loved doing The Time Tunnel. It was a real shock and very sad when they cancelled it because we had been picked up! After we were picked up, a new regime came in and they took off a lot of the shows that had been on the network. We did one season of 37 shows. It was sad. I even got a call from [producer] Irwin Allen saying congratulations, the show was picked up! The next thing I knew, it was gone.

Q: As your character Vic Fontaine is aware of his own existence as a hologram, do you think that he would ever decide to leave Quark's holosuite to live his life travelling the cosmos, or is he happy to be a lounge singer?
Matt J.

JD: He would never leave his friends, that's for sure. He would never want to travel the cosmos. He'd be hanging out with all the people there, friends and foes.

Q: How much of your recent fan contingent is Star Trek based?
Bartholomew

JD: Oh, my gosh, a tremendous, unbelievable amount. The new fan base is why I'm out there singing and performing in cities like Atlantic City and hopefully soon Las Vegas, Reno and Tahoe. All the things I do I have a lot of Star Trek fans who come to see me. They are a significant part of the fan base.

Q: I was wondering how you felt when you heard DS9 was ending and you realized you may never get to play Vic again?
Phillip H.

JD: I was certainly very sad when I found out that DS9 was ending, but I always hoped that something would happen where I would get to play Vic again. I guess that hope will never die. I still have hope that there will be some offshoot of DS9, or at least the character. I love that character of Vic Fontaine.

Q: Okay Jimmy, spill it. Is "Here's To the Losers" a dig at Trekkies?
Matt L.

JD: No, no, no. That song was absolutely picked by Ira Behr and that was because one of the characters was on the skids with his girl. So, no dig at Trekkies at all.

Q: When playing Vic Fontaine, which did you prefer, the acting or the singing?
Steve W.

JD: Both. I couldn't enjoy one more than the other.

Q: Which episode that you starred in was your favorite and also what elements do you think your "Rat Pack" era character brought to a science-fiction based show.
Sarducci

JD: My favorite episodes are my first one, "His Way" and "Badda-Bing Badda-Bang."

I was very concerned, initially, about playing Vic because I thought he may not be accepted by the fans. But, on the contrary, what I get from the fans is that he brought modern day reality, something they can identify with more clearly.

Q: Who did the arrangements for the band in the holodeck? They were wonderful, especially "The Way You Look Tonight."
Ralph H., NY

JD: There were two people who did those charts: Jay Chattaway and Dennis McCarthy.

Q: I have always loved your voice. Has there ever been a favorite song of yours you wanted to sing, but haven't yet sung?
Laurie D., Maine

JD: Yes there is one that I'm going to start singing soon, "Because of You." It's an old Tony Bennett song.

Q: Would you like to see yourself play as an official Starfleet entertainment Hologram on starships?
Kevin V.

JD: Would that include me being with my friends? If not, then I'd have to develop relationships with somebody.

Q: How did you experience the "phenomenon" of Star Trek as it started in the late '60s? Did you like it?
Raphael E., Germany

JD: I loved it. It wasn't my first encounter with sci-fi — we had Buck Rogers and things like that — but I liked it because it was certainly more intellectual and more believable than the early stuff.

Q: I saw "The Guns of Navarone" on cable the other night, a real classic, and was wondering if you have a favorite memory from the film? With such an all-star cast, and you so young, you must have been in awe, yet you held your own in the film and did quality work. Would you be kind enough to share a memory or two?
Steve H.

JD: The memory, to this day, was working with those incredible actors and personalities like Gregory Peck, David Niven and Stanley Baker — who was a great actor — Anthony Quayle, and Anthony Quinn. I was surrounded by people who were the top in their craft! We were together for seven months and we developed a great rapport and relationship between all the cast. We were like family. It was filmed on the island of Rhodes in Greece.

Q: Why don't you record a duet of "The Best is Yet to Come" with Avery Brooks, as performed in one episode of DS9 ["Badda-Bing Badda-Bang,"]? Also, how many takes were required?
Webw/Alain-J.

JD: I would love to but it always involves rights, or Avery being allowed to record for the label that I record for. Or vice versa. Avery Brooks is awfully talented. I always knew he was a wonderful actor, but I never realized that he was a terrific singer and a wonderful musician. He plays incredible piano.

Regarding the scene, it didn't require more than two or three takes.

Q: Hello, my name is Nick and I wanted to say that I love your singing. I was wondering if your character is based on a real person, or completely made up by the writers of Star Trek: Deep Space Nine?
Nick M.

JD: The character was written beautifully and what I brought to it was my experience and the time I had spent with people like Sinatra and Dean Martin. The character was kind of a marriage of Dean Martin and Frank Sinatra as far as I was concerned and the way I played it.

Q: Who's the most humorous of the DS9 cast?
Peter D.

JD: Rene Auberjonois.

Q: Hello Mr. Darren. What was it like working with William Shatner on T.J. Hooker?
Robert B., San Diego

JD: It was great. The first couple of weeks we were still feeling each other out, then we really got to be good friends. I really enjoyed working with Bill.

Q: I think a Vic Fontaine Christmas album would be so cool. You're da best, pally.
Brian H.

JD: I would love that. Hopefully I will do a Christmas album next year.

Q: Do you ever attend conventions, either as a guest or a participant?
Syl F.

JD: Absolutely. There are several coming up including a big one in Las Vegas later in the year. They asked me to do one in Scotland this summer in July. And there's one in Pasadena [Creation's Grand Slam in March/April]. I will be performing, as long as it doesn't conflict with another engagement.

Q: No questions, I just wanted to say that I was named after you.
Darren James H.

JD: Oh my gosh. God bless his mom!

Q: Did you have time to get to know all the actors on the show?
Adam

JD: Oh, absolutely.

Q: Was there ever a scene where the cast played a prank on you?
Marcus S.

JD: No. I guess I never felt so loved and welcomed as I did on DS9. From my very first day, the crew and the cast made me feel like I had been doing that show from its inception.

I certainly miss playing Vic Fontaine, I miss doing the show, but I really miss those people. To be fortunate enough to have a collection of those incredibly wonderful people...It's so rare and I don't know if that will ever happen again.

STARTREK.COM: Thank you very much for your time.